Returnable/reusable containers for the transportation of goods is widely used. Such containers, or tote boxes, must have sufficient strength to be able to safely transport the goods stored therein without damage. These tote boxes are normally designed to be stackable with the corners reinforced to support such stacking. The corners of prior art tote boxes are normally reinforced permitting the tote boxes to sufficiently support the weight of upper layers of stacked tote boxes. Such tote boxes are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,037,027.
These tote boxes usually have a rail for reinforcing the upper edge of the tote and have corner braces to secure the side rails together and to the side panels of the tote box. These corner braces are rivetted through the corner brace to sandwich the side braces to the side panels of the tote box.
The process of assembling a prior art tote box requires an average of six minutes of labor time in which to install the corner braces and rivet them to the tote box.
The tote boxes of the prior art construction are satisfactory. However, the present invention reduces the time for assembly of the tote box to approximately two minutes per unit without sustaining any significant loss in tote box strength.